Bolt From The Black
CORUSCANT
Wearing
The Berry-Bing's neon glow lit up the darkened Coruscant skyline, its massive strawberry-shaped sign casting a pink hue over the streets below. Shadows stretched and shifted beneath its artificial light, draping the street in a neon haze.
The line to enter was long, filled with men in sharp suits and women in sleek, form-fitting dresses. This was high-end nightlife, where credits could buy anything for the right price.
Every few minutes, a suited bouncer would select a lucky pair from the crowd, granting them entrance.
But sometimes, the real attention turned elsewhere.
A limousine-speeder would glide in, its presence commanding a momentary hush. The doors would open, revealing a somebody—a singer, a business mogul, a politician. The kind of person who didn't wait in lines.
They were always accompanied.
Sycophants at their sides. A bodyguard or two. If the VIP was a man, a woman (or several) draped under his arm.
Drystan watched it all unfold from a shadowed rooftop across the street.
His eyes stayed locked behind binoculars, methodically scanning each arrival.
He had both arms now. His new prosthetic still took some getting used to, but with each passing minute, it felt more natural. Heavier than the original, sure—but stronger. Much stronger. Beneath its cortosis chassis lay a hidden weapon, an ace up his sleeve.
Everything he wasn't— loud, bombastic, indiscreet. A perfect trump card for a Shadow.
He made a mental note to thank Braze for the boon. He had been capable with one arm, but adjusting his entire fighting style to compensate had been a pain in the ass.
He zoomed in again, taking note of faces, memorizing mannerisms.
His prey had yet to show.
Drystan adjusted the cigarette in his mouth, his free hand drifting away from the binoculars every now and then to take a drag.
The ashtray beside him was full—a graveyard of cigarette butts, nearly a whole pack's worth.
It had been days since he last slept.
This stakeout had started nights ago, interrupted only by the rare moment to change clothes, take a caf break, or tend to necessities.
For now, he watched. And waited.
Allyson Locke